Treatment of aluminum-bearing materials.



v No Drawing.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TBAATMENT F ALUMINUM-BEARING MATERIALS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it -known, that I, HARRY P. BASSETT,

i a citizen of the United States, residing at Catonsville, in the county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in the Treatment of Aluminum-Bearing Materials, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the treatment of aluminum bearing material, such as clay, sodium feldspar, potassium feldspar, granite, and the like, and has for its principal object to provide-an economical process for the separation of aluminum from such aluminum bearing material. Other objects and advantages of the invention will, appear in the course of the following specification.

In the practice of my process I add to.

the clay, rock, or other aluminum bearing material, an alkali preferably sodium oar-' bonate and an alkali chlorid preferably sodium chlorid and furnace the mixture preferably to the point of fusion, which occurs at about a low red heat.

I have found that satisfactory results are obtained by mixing the clay, rock or other aluminum bearing material with the reagents mentioned, in the following proportions by weight: Clay or aluminum bearing rock, parts; sodium carbonate, 3 parts; sodium chlorid, Z'parts. When the mixture is heated the reaction which occurs is belieyed to be represented by the following equation: ilKMh'i O 3NaCl+2Na CO,,:

2Na O.9SiO +3NaAlO,+2CO,+3KCl.

aluminum from thesolution, I carbonate it preferably by passing carbon dioxid gas through such solution,.which reacting upon the sodium aluminate present, precipitates the aluminum as aluminum hydroxid (;\l(()ll),. in the form of a gelatinous Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 31, 1912. Serial No. 674,470.

Patented May 5, 191a.

mass as indicated tions by the following eqw The gelatinous precipitate of aluminum hydroxid is separated from the solution, preferably by centrifugal action, and, may be dried,'but is preferably treated with a suit able alkali as sodium carbonate and the aluminum obtained in the form of sodium aluminate.

In the treatment of clay, feldspar, or other aluminum bearing mate'fials which contain potash, I am 'able, in the practice of my process, to separate the potash present, as well as the aluminum. Where potash is present in the materialunder treatment, it will be found to be in solution after the precipitation of the aluminum hydroxid, as hereinbefore described, the treatment here- .inbefore set forth being applicable to the treatment of potash bearing materials as well as those containing no potash, the equation given above showing the reaction which is believed to take spar is used.

VVhere' potash containing materials are treated there remains in solution as described, after the separation of the aluminum potassium bi-carbonate (KHCO and so dium chlorid (NaCl). To this solution is added caustic alkali, preferably sddiuin hydroxid in suflioient amount to transform the sodium bi'carbonate and potassium bi-carbonate present into sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate in accordance with the following equations:

After the treatment with the sodium hydrate the solution will contain sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, and sodiu 'n chlorid. This is heated to preferably abo've 60 (3. to partially eva 'iorate the solution and precipitate the sodium carbonate and sodium chlorid. The liquid residue contains the potashydroxid, sodium bi-carbonate (NaHCO),"

place when potash feld- 'sium carbonate in solution, and the pot-ash is thus separated from .the other components of the material under treatment. The sodium carbonate and sodium chlorid precipitated from the solution upon evaporation,

. are in substantially the proportions in which these salts are added to the aluminum hearing materialsunder treatment so that. these reagents are recovered and may be used over and over again with only such loss as occurs in mechanical manipulation.

The sodium silicate .(Na,SiO,) hereinbefore referred to, may be advantageously heated with a sodium salt, preferably sodium-carbonate, to fusion, and dissolved in water to form Water-glass, the silica present in the material under treatment being thus separated and, recovered in this readily sal-- able form.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided'aprocess for the economical separation of aluminum from clay, feldspar, and the like, {and that my process enables me to economically-separate otash where such potash. is eontainedin t 1e aluminum bearinganatetials .inider treatment. It will also be noted that my' process whether ap plied to feldspars, clays, or the like contain-- ing potash or free from potash, enables me to eifect the. economical separation of the silica content of. the materials under treat- 4 ment.

While 'I have described specifically the materials which I prefer to use and .the proportions which I prefer to employ, it is to be understood that the chemical equivalents of such materials may be used, and that the proportions may be Widely varied without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Lettors .latenl, is

l. The herein described process of treating clay, feldspar, and other aluminum bearing materials containing aluminum in an in soluble form, which consists in heating to a reacting temperature a furnace charge consisting-substantially of aluminous material,

an alkali and an alkali metal chlorid, there' by producing a water soluble aluminum compound and t2xt1acti11gil18 soluble per tion of the treated mass with water.

2. lhe;herein described process of treat-' compound and extracting the-soluble portion of the treated mass with water.

, 3. The herein described process of treating clay, feldspar, and other aluminum hearing materials containing. aluminum in an insoluble form, which consists in heating the same with not to exceed an equal part by weight of a mixture of sodium carbonate and sodium ehlorid, the sodium carbonate and sodium.clilorid being present in such mixture .in approximately the proportionsof three parts by weight of the former and two parts by weight, of the latter and extracting the soluble portion of'the treated mass with water. v i

4'. The-herein described process oftreating clay, feldspar, and other alumimun bearing materials containing aluminum in an insoluble form which consists in' heating ,"the same with an alkali and an alkali ch1orid thcrebyproducing a Water soluble aluminum compound, extracting the soluble portion of the treated mass with water, carbonatmg't-he resulting solution to effect the precipitation of the aluminum present, separating the aluminous precipitate, adding a caustic alkali to the remaining solution to transform the-sodium iii-carbonate and potassium bi-carb matc present into sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate, par

lially evaporating the solution to effect the" procipitation of the sodium carbonate and sodiuiir ehlorid. and separating suc-h pre- 4 cipilate from the remaining solution.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY P. BASSETT.

Witnesses:

(l. L. Paulina, J M as L. (IRA \vrom).

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. Q. 

